Purdue Sport Management grad student off to the races in venue, event management

Molly Wendel stands on the historic finish line at the Indiana Motor Speedway. Wendell has spent most of May and some of April interning at the racetrack to prepare it for the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.(Photo provided)

Written by: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu

A drag racer since age 16, it’s only fitting Molly Wendel will experience the roar of 33 IndyCars and about 400,000 racing fans at the Indianapolis 500.

A graduate student in the Purdue University sport management program housed in the Department of Health and Kinesiology, Wendel will work client services and media credentials at the Hulman Terrace Suites in the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24. While the experience is technically part of her master’s degree studies, the smell of exhaust, the sound of revving 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engines and the smoke from squealing Firestone Firehawk race tires are home to her.

“I used to race in something called the NMRA, the National Mustang Racers Association, when I was 16 to 19. I have a 2008 GT Mustang with the blower on it. And my whole family races,” Wendel said.

Wendel has balanced classwork with experiential learning at some of Indiana’s largest venues, including Gainbridge Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis. For her first year in the 18-month program, Wendel took classes in West Lafayette and commuted to work the Indianapolis events.

After just a few months of exceling at opportunities like the 2025 Big Ten Football Championship Game, Wendel will continue as a student but will be moving to Indianapolis after recently getting hired by Pacers Sports & Entertainment, where she works events ranging from basketball games to a Cardi B concert and a recent episode of “WWE Raw.”

“Just seeing how many people are involved — there’s so many people,” Wendel said. “(WWE superstars) were actually practicing in the ring while we were setting up. So that was kind of cool to see. Nothing high-flying or anything, but after watching (WWE) as a kid, it was really cool. It’s so weird to think about all these things I saw as a kid that I’m now going to be a part of. I just think it’s amazing.”

Super Plex start

Wendel steps out of her Ford Mustang after a drag race before her time at Purdue. (Photo provided)

When Wendel wasn’t racing Mustangs, she was playing soccer at The Plex sports complex in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was there so much that she was hired on, first as a facilities manager before moving up to office manager and then director of retail while she completed her online undergraduate degree with Western Governors University. The experience at The Plex inspired her and gave her confidence to pursue a career in sport management.

In the fall, Wendel took the event management course and found it familiar but on a larger scale compared to her Fort Wayne jobs. Getting to see spaces a ticketholder is never allowed to go in some of Indiana’s most cherished sports venues — including Purdue’s historic Mackey Arena — is a thrill for any sports fan. A spin around Lucas Oil Stadium would make any Indianapolis Colts fan jealous. Wendel got to see everything from the cushiest suites to a locked down security room filled with TVs showing every angle of the giant complex.

These experiences quickly unlocked a sport management career direction that could harness her passions for sports and the energy of a live event.

“I get fueled off of it. I love it,” Wendel explained. “I love working late nights. Coming into this, they told us the sports world has long hours, and I was definitely up for that. Put me down for a 12-hour day, and let me experience something. I’m there for it. Especially when the atmosphere is super high, I feed off of it; it gives me energy. I want to keep going. I want to get up the next day and do the same thing.”

Stellar student

Wendel’s instructors have been impressed by her work in the classroom and in venues of 67,000 seats. Patrick Tutka, clinical associate professor in health and kinesiology, appreciates Wendel’s enthusiasm for the varied field of sport management.

Some sport management tasks may not seem as glorious as a game-winning, last-second 3-pointer, but each job is important, according to Tutka. The importance reveals itself once at the opening whistle.

“You were part of the reason why it happened,” Tutka said. “Depending on what you were doing, you’re either a small part or you could be a really big part as to why that happened. We’ve had students who were actively engaged in little things like setting up towels, which isn’t a big deal, but when you get to see thousands of people waving towels as part of an electric crowd like we have here at Mackey, now all of a sudden that adds to the environment, right? That’s your work. Oh, it seems like a small annoying detail, but it’s your work that made that extra thing happen that all of a sudden adds to the environment, makes it more fun to attend.”

Mike Fox is a former longtime stadium director at Lucas Oil Stadium and senior director of facilities and planning for Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now working independently while helping students like Wendel, his expertise has been key in the new sport management graduate program. Fox knows good work ethic when he sees it — and he sees it in Wendel.

“Every time I turn around, she is on LinkedIn doing this or that, gaining experience within the field and growing her network, which is the true key in sports management,” Fox said. “It’s an endless variety of paths into this industry. However, unless the student is willing to sell themselves and ‘get out there,’ they will not be successful. They have to develop the network and use that network to find the right path.”

Fox makes it a point for his students to grasp every facet of sport venue management.

“I had a saying that ‘Every single event we host is someone’s Super Bowl,’” Fox stated. “Whether it’s a high school football state championship, NCAA Final Four, college graduation, monster truck show, Supercross, high school band championship, treat all of them the same. For someone in competition or in the stands, it just might be the biggest event in their lives to that date. For some competitors, it will mark the last competitive event in their lives. Those factors demand the best effort from a facility and the staff.”

Wendel looks forward to fulfilling that high standard.

“Just anything that makes it easier on the people that are there, we just jump in and help with,” Wendel said. “Even though we’re not on a sports team, we’re a team in ourselves running the event. And if we weren’t there running the event, nothing would happen. So, I love to be the person that helps start everything, helps the guest experience the best event that they can.”